The Kingfisher Public House — Restaurant in East Devon

My husband and I wanted to go out for lunch and decided to come to The Kingfisher. We had both attended separate Christmas parties here and found the food and atmosphere to be excellent. The staff were very welcoming and asked if we wanted to eat in the garden or the restaurant. The garden area is beautiful, and very picturesque, but we had had a few spots of rain earlier, so opted for the restaurant, which was cosy and quiet, lit with strings of lights that gave it a cosy, welcoming feel. Our drinks and meals were ordered at the bar, the specials board had tempted us to order the ribeye steak, with chips, onion rings, tomatoes etc., and peppercorn sauce. (I have been told that their speciality is seafood, so if you enjoy fresh fish or scallops, cooked to a high standard, then I would recommend coming here). A member of staff brought us forks and steak knives wrapped in a napkin, and asked if we needed anything else. When the meal arrived it looked amazing. Our peppercorn sauce came in two individual sauce boats, so we could add as much or as little as we liked. The meal was hot and cooked to perfection. We both asked for our steak to be medium, and that is what we got. The chips were golden: crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The battered onion rings were scrunchy. And the steak... What can I say?? It was so full of flavour, and it practically melted in your mouth. I think that the steak knives were unnecessary, the meat was so tender. It was an amazing meal, and a wonderful eating experience. The whole ambience of The Kingfisher speaks of a pride in the business and the experience that they offer to those of us lucky enough to visit this gem. Be it a drink at the bar, or a meal in the restaurant or garden, you are certain to have a warm welcome and a memory...

It was really busy when I arrived which is always a good sign. As such the only tables available were outside either in the alleyway or the garden. I found a table in the alleyway which is much nicer than it sounds and ordered my food at the bar. I ordered garlic and blue cheese mushrooms as a starter and then asked for a change to the specials item so there would be no meat in the risotto that came with the salmon. The mushroom were delicious and then the main course arrived. Unfortunately there had been some misunderstanding as it still had meat in it and when I queried it I was told that what looked like bacon were pieces of fish. One taste told me otherwise 🙁 I returned to the bar with my meal and was intercepted by the owner who was there and she dealt with the issue immediately. My meal was replaced and when it arrived was absolutely delicious, a sundries tomato and pea risotto with pan fried crumbed salmon with micro greens, beautifully cooked and presented. The food is top notch, it’s a really nice pub and the owner clearly gives her full attention to detail. It’s a shame I’m only in the area for one day as I’d...

Great food and drink, a really friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Has been refurbished over the past few years and now has a great choice of bar area, sheltered outside area, and a really nice garden. The food quality and presentation has risen well above "standard pub food" and there's always great specials available including of course the very tasty fresh fish caught from their own boat at Lyme.

2025 update, back once again for a fantastic meal washed down with a very, very nice bottle of St. Emillion. One amazing thing about this pub is the quality and variety of food, from standard pub meals (cooked very, very well) to absolute top class food. I just had local duck from the specials board, honestly the tastiest and best prepared duck I've ever had, served on a bed of horseradish mash and cabbage, with a red wine jus and side gravy/sauce. Absolutely divine!The salt and pepper squid starter was great too - freshly cooked and actually tasted of squid. And the scallops are as good as ever, big, juicy, sweet, lots of them. A perfect evening in a very friendly, warm, welcoming pub.

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